Officials received a call around 1:15 p.m. from a security officer who noticed a plastic bag containing the substance in a common area. The officer was quarantined, but a reaction to the powder was not reported.
An investigation completed around 4 p.m. determined the powder was not a threat, according to NBC affiliate WVIT. The substance was then sent to a lab for forensic analysis. No injuries were reported, and the investigation had no effect on patient care.
The incident follows a Nov. 25 evacuation of Yale New Haven after a man in the ED’s waiting room pulled a towel from his backpack and threw it on a desk in front of a hospital employee, saying it was “chemical warfare.” Preliminary testing did not identify any dangerous substances on the towel, and the ED returned to normal operations shortly thereafter.
Becker’s will update this story as more information becomes available.
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